Tarmac Quarry Materials (West Region) has won a prestigious European health and safety award for its outstanding contribution to safe maintenance.
The manufacturer of asphalt and road materials was one of eight organisations from across Europe recognised recently by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) as part of its Healthy Workplaces campaign on safe maintenance.
Presented with a European Good Practice Award at a ceremony on Workers’ Memorial Day (28 April), Tarmac Quarry Materials – the UK winner – received the award after implementing impressive new safety standards for its maintenance staff.
Its introduction of a comprehensive health and safety training programme for new employees and a personalised health-competency evaluation plan for its maintenance staff helped bring about a significant reduction in injuries, accidents and lost time.
Commenting on the importance of safe maintenance, Kolos Kardkovács, Hungary’s Secretary of State for employment, representing the country’s EU presidency, said: “A lack of proper maintenance can have serious safety consequences, ultimately impacting productivity and profitability. By according sufficient time and resources to safe maintenance, the award-winners are proactively protecting the interests of their businesses and their employees for years to come.”
László Andor, commissioner for employment, social affairs and inclusion, added: “These good practices are in line with our Community Strategy on Health and Safety at Work (2007–2012), which, as well as targeting occupational ill health, aims to cut work-related accidents by a quarter across the EU.”
Other award-winners include Voestalpine Hytronics GmbH and Voestalpine Weichensysteme GmbH (Austria, iron and steel production) for their use of technology and organisation to achieve safer maintenance; Protón Electrónica SLU (Spain, electrical equipment) for coordinating repair and maintenance with a client; and GHT – Glass Handling Technic Vof (Netherlands, horticulture) for maintaining and repairing horticultural glasshouses safely and effectively.
Jukka Takala, director of EU-OSHA, said: “Our network of focal points in participating member states and Turkey received hundreds of good-practice examples, with the very best national examples taken forward to the European-level Good Practice Awards. The eight winners and 15 commended companies all demonstrate the crucial role regular maintenance plays in eliminating workplace hazards and managing risks – underlining the key messages of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign.”
More information on the winners and commended organisations can be found on the EU-OSHA website.
